Spring 2024 CERIS Book Discussion

I Cannot Write My Life: Islam, Arabic, and Slavery in Omar ibn Said's America by Mbaye Lo and Carl W. Ernst

Omar ibn Said (1770–1863) was a Muslim scholar from West Africa who spent more than fifty years enslaved in the North Carolina household of James Owen, brother of Governor John Owen. In 1831 Omar composed a brief autobiography, the only known narrative written in Arabic by an enslaved person in North America, and he became famous for his Arabic writings. His enslavers also provided him with an Arabic Bible and claimed Omar as a convert to Christianity, prompting wonder and speculation among amateur scholars of Islam, white slave owners, and missionaries. But these self-proclaimed experts were unable or unwilling to understand Omar's writings, and his voice was suppressed for two centuries.

The discussion will be facilitated by Yasmine Flodin-Ali, Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of Pittsburgh

Participants will receive a free copy of the book. Dinner will be served at 5:30pm, discussion will begin at 6:00pm.